Cathy

"Cathy" Meets George Tiller
//"On May 8, 1980, the plaintiff sought care from the defendant and through a diagnostic test plaintiff was informed that she was pregnant."//

Thus begins the story of a woman I'll call "Cathy," to preserve her confidentiality. What follows is taken from a suit filed against Kansas abortionist George Tiller in 1982.

After discussing the situation with her husband, Cathy decided to go back to Tiller for an abortion. The two-day procedure was begun on May 13, 1980. On May 14, Cathy returned to Tiller's facility for the completion of her abortion.

//"Defendant failed to inform plaintiff's husband that he suspected that he had poked a hole in plaintiff's uterus and that there would be a delay in plaintiff's being allowed to go home."//

Tiller responded that Cathy had "gone blooey" as soon as he'd injected her with anesthestic, becoming hysterical and agitated, jerking around on the procedure table. Tiller indicated that he decided to proceed with the abortion rather than give Cathy a sedative and calm her down because the entire procedure only takes about a minute to a minute and one-half to complete.

While Cathy's husband was kept waiting, Cathy's ordeal was just beginning.

//"Defendant told the nurses to put plaintiff in some room used for storage and other uses and plaintiff was placed on a cold x-ray table, and the room that plaintiff was put in was not private.... Defendant permitted a police officer to come in and loaf in the room where plaintiff was taken."//

Nauseated and cold, Cathy cried out for help.

//"Defendant permitted his employees to come into the room where plaintiff was placed and tell the plaintiff to shut up, that the other girls had not had their abortions yet and that she was scaring them and plaintiff cried out from the pain."//

Cathy nevertheless continued to cry out for another forty-five minutes.

//"Plaintiff had to call out several times for help and finally a patient came into the room and after learning why this plaintiff was calling for help informed plaintiff that she would try to find someone to help this plaintiff."//

The patient found a nurse, and told her that Cathy was cold, in pain, and about to vomit.

//"A nurse appeared with a plastic cup for Plaintiff to throw up into and a wet paper towel, and the nurse immediately left."//

Cathy remained for over two hours in the cold room.

//"Defendant's employees failed to inform plaintiff's husband of what had happened to plaintiff after plaintiff had requested defendant's employees to do so."//

At last Cathy was discharged, with no information about her injury and no instructions for follow-up other than to return the following day for shots.

//"On Monday, 19 May 1980, Plaintiff and her husband returned to Defendant's clinic for the purpose of obtaining information about what had happened to her and what she should do about it. Defendant refused to answer Plaintiff's questions and again told her that by jerking she was at fault in causing the perforation. He then called the police, causing Plaintiff and her husband to leave without answers to their questions."//

Tiller and Cathy eventually settled out of court.

Source: Sedgewick (KS) County District Court Case No. 82C1309